Myth & Reality

THE LEGEND

Collection privée - Poterie Le Chêne Vert (30)

Vase signé Gautier – daté XX siècle

The legend takes us back to a fair occurring in year 1610 when an Anduze potter who was captivated by the elegance of a Medici vase drew his inspiration from its general shape to create the first ANDUZE planter. The result turned out to be a harmonious combination of Italian exuberance and Cevenol (meaning: from the Cevennes) austerity on a stocky bodied planter, embellished by garlands and “stamped” clay badges showing the potter’s name; since then, the ANDUZE planter has acquired its worldwide French gardens ‘ornament reputation.
Originally designed to plant orange and lemon trees, these large glazed planters were displayed in gardens and orange groves to ornate Southern aristocratic properties in the past; it is the case around the world today.

The Green Oak pottery is undoubtedly one of the last factories in Anduze to perpetuate a regional tradition of hand thrown horticultural glazed terra cotta planters and garden ornaments for interior and exterior decoration. We offer a wide collection exclusively hand made and designed in our Anduze workshop.

OUR “ANDUZE”

We constantly strive for the perfect balance between authenticity and elegance when hand-setting the decorative key attributes pertaining to “Our” Anduze planters’ collection.

A true hallmark of our workshop is the stamped badges set on our planters. They were designed from the shape of a gold coin called”Ecu au soleil”: a beaded edged coin highlighting a shield marked by the sun which is topped with a royal crown.( the coins were weighed on a “trebuchet” a small scale exclusively used for that purpose)

In addition, each vase is dated and signed by our craftsmen after being stamped “De Anduzia” (meaning “from Anduze), a XIIth.Century coin utilized in the area of Anduze at the time.
This signature validates a hand thrown production-Authenticity certificates can be issued upon demand.

Details matter in terms of ornaments and we draw our inspiration from the legacy of the Gautier dynasty, one of the most influential families of potters of the 17th Century in the vicinity of Anduze. Our largest planters display their notorious garland depicting cherubs, lilies and horns of abundance.

The GAUTIER dynasty
“Not only is the Gautier family one of the most ancient dynasty of potters, it has left the strongest marks in the corporation… The oldest written information found about a potter named “Gautier” takes us back to year 1560… But it is likely that the craftsmen’s tradition of this family may go back further in time… When signing their planters which ornate numerous gardens, the eldest pieces being dated 1728 in the vicinity of Vauvert and 1730 in Anduze, this family left its marks in the history of the Anduze planters… We have strong reasons to believe that the Gautier were the first to make pots in Anduze during the first third of the 17th century. One may say that they have largely contributed to the prosperity of this arts and crafts industry to a point where today’s potters owe them a great deal.”